Tigers and Cubs still going strong

Ozark and Monett have chance to advance past semis

We all figured the Webb City football team would still be playing this week, and many around the Big 8 Conference felt Lamar would get back into the Class 2 football state title hunt.

But what about the newcomers?

Welcome to mid-November football, Monett and Ozark.

The thought going into the weekend was we may never know how good this Ozark team really was.

The Tigers were certainly the second-best team in the Central Ozark Conference behind Class 4 powerhouse Webb City, and were not believed to be at the state-championship caliber of teams such as Lee's Summit West.

But a funny thing happened near Kansas City, and after a 26-23 upset of the top-ranked Lee's Summit West Titans, there's reason to believe the run isn't over for the Tigers.

Ozark (11-1) will play at Fort Osage on Friday, and this game is a toss-up. Kirkwood, the St. Louis version of the state championship favorite, could loom in the state final, however.

And let me again make a call for neutral sites in state semifinal games. The home-field advantage Fort Osage will enjoy Friday is just not fair at this point in the season, especially with the teams sporting identical 11-1 records.

There'd be nothing wrong with meeting at Southwest Baptist University or the University of Central Missouri to settle the score.

Monett, on the other hand, was favored going into Saturday's home game against Eldon, and will receive the benefit of hosting John Burroughs this Saturday.

You may remember John Burroughs from last year's Class 3 state final when Rogersville knocked off coach Gus Frerotte's Bombers.

Ranked No. 1 in the state and featuring Ohio State-bound running back Ezekiel Elliott, most will likely side with the Bombers when forecasting this game.

But, even in defeat Saturday in the quarterfinal, Park Hills Central may have provided Monett the blueprint to beating Burroughs.

The Rebels grinded out long drives with its rushing attack in the first half, keeping Elliott off the field and holding him to four yards before halftime, according to stltoday.com. Only after halftime was Burroughs able to seal the win.

You better believe Monett coach Chad Depee will take notes, and also note that he has the horses to run powerfully with Kurran Blamey and Aaron Hall.

Another thing we can learn from the weekend is that old school offenses still work in high school.

While many high school programs emulate the college and pro spread-style attack, Webb City has done it with an option look, and Ozark and Lamar play two quarterbacks at times and rely on fundamentals and fakes to trick the opposition.

Another offer for Nixa's Norman

Nixa senior Jalen Norman received another Division I basketball scholarship offer recently, as Long Island University Brooklyn has offered the 6-foot-6 forward, Norman said Sunday.

The Blackbirds of the Northeast Conference join Missouri State and Eastern Illinois as schools that have offered Norman. In addition, Yale has offered the equivalent of a scholarship with a financial-aid package. Norman has said he is also considering Arkansas, Tennessee, Boston College, Oklahoma, Kansas and Lehigh.

Contact Matt Schoch at (417) 836-1191 or maschoch@news-leader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MattSchochNL.